It Started With a Kidnapped Pig...

The Tomb of Moving Stones - Part 2

Investigations

9

FEB/17

Date: Mirtul 6, 1491 DR

The next day the party split up. Esplen went to see her faction contact Haeleeya Hanadroum, the owner and operator of a bath house and dress shop in her large, well appointed home. Haeleeya was a beautiful, dark haired woman in her late 20s. When Esplen introduced herself Haleeya was happy to talk to her, although she kept folding towels from the bath house, and occasionally had to excuse herself to assist a customer in the baths. The doors into the bath house emanated pleasant smells and a warm dampness. Haleeya repeated much of what the party had already found out – the Town Elders were considered competent in business administration, but mostly used their positions to further their own ends, and that they often disagreed with the Constable. The only new information she was able to provide was news of a delegation of “important people” coming from the town of Mirabar up north. The delegation included an elf noble from the town of Silverymoon named Teresiel who was important to the Emerald Enclave. She was carrying some magical seeds which she was dropping off at the walled temple farm of Goldenfields to the south, before continuing on to the city of Waterdeep on the coast. The delegation had other important members too, and they had a few other stops on the way, and this was perhaps why they were running late. However there was some concern about this, and Haleeya asked that if Esplen came across any information about the Mirabar Delegation then the Emerald Enclave would like to know about it.

Ulryn, Natas and Farideh met with the only female town elder, Albaeri Mellikho, owner and manager of Mellikho Stoneworks (no. 18 on the Red Larch map) and the quarry pit behind her business. She was a talkative and excitable woman of middle age, who denied vigorously anything going wrong with her business and laughed at the rumours of masked men haunting the quarry at night. She was curious as to why the party were asking these questions, and suggested that if they really wanted to help Red Larch, that there was a legendary treasure that was said to be hidden in Tricklerock Cave, and when asked she was more than willing to provide directions.

Kallista and Windypop visted Tywin Dornen, of Dornen Finestone. This plain square building was coated in a graywhite shroud of rock dust from the quarry behind the office, and judging by the thickness of it, this seemed to be a permanent thing. Tywin Dornen was everything they had expected. He obviously took a dislike to the adventurers at the start, and was arrogant and almost rude, especially when he found out they were not potential customers. He denied everything the party had heard about difficulties with workers, and told them he had heard stories of a lost treasure and mysterious villains lurking in Tricklerock Cave. Dornen suggested that was the sort of thing that adventurers should be investigating, not the rumours of lazy workers who didn’t want to work at night.

The party met back at The Swinging Sword and compared notes.
“Maybe we should check out this Tricklerock Cave,” suggested Ulryn. “There could be something useful to know there.”
“It’s likely a death trap,” said Natas. “They probably send all nosy adventurers there.”
“So there might be a lot of treasure,” laughed Kallista.
“Only from novice or incompetent adventurers,” said Windypop. “Which are we?”
“Both!” said Leachim.
“Honestly, do you have to have that puppet even at our meetings?” asked Esplen. “It’s a bit creepy.”
Natas tried putting his hand holding the puppet under the table but Leachim’s muffled voice could still be heard complaining. When Leachim started knocking on the underside of the table Natas decided to put the puppet in his pack.
’I’m going to pay for this later,’ the bard thought as Leachim just stared hard at him as he buckled up the pack.

The party made ready to enter the tunnel described by Stannor Thistlehair. Shortly after dark, they made their way to the business of Ilmeth Waelvur, the employer of Stannor. The workshop was a cluttered, untidy shed surrounded by dozens of wagons shrouded in worn canvas tarpaulins. A crudely hand-lettered sign over the wide main door proclaimed it to be “Waelvur’s Wagonworks.” In accordance with Stannor’s directions the party made their way to an old cellar door in the back of the cluttered work yard. If Stannor’s information was correct, the party should find some answers beyond these doors.